Chapter 10

Yesterday, a brother came over, and after drinking too much, I went home with a dizzy head and couldn't write anything. I woke up at around 4 in the morning and finally caught up.

---

The old man with a red face frowned and said discontentedly, "Elder Li, are we, the Hengyue Sect, really going to stoop so low? To break the rules for the life and death of an ordinary person?"

Elder Li opened his eyes, his voice growing colder, and said, "Elder Ma, the Sect Master has said that this matter is fully our responsibility. If we handle it poorly and the boy really commits suicide again, and his parents spread the word that we, the Hengyue Sect, forced their child to death, wouldn't that be even more disgraceful? Can you take responsibility for it? If you can, I won't get involved."

The middle-aged man quickly mediated, saying, "Alright, let's not argue over such a small matter. How about this: we take him in as a nominal disciple. After eight or ten years, if he fails to become a cultivator, we send him back. This way, there won't be any trouble in the future, wouldn't that be great?"

The old man in the brocade robe suddenly said, "What if other children who weren't accepted also follow suit? What should we do?"

The middle-aged man chuckled and said, "That's easy to handle. After this incident, we will have learned our lesson. In the future, all children who fail the test will be individually enlightened with the Soul Transformation Technique, instilling in them the idea not to take their lives. As for Wang Lin, since it has come to this, we might as well take him in. After all, a nominal disciple is not a big deal."

Apart from Elder Li, the other two elders looked at the middle-aged man with meaningful glances and said no more.

The middle-aged man smiled and thought to himself, "Wang Lin, Wang Lin, I've done all I can to help you. The piece of refined iron your fourth uncle gave me, I can't refuse. I'm quite curious, how did an ordinary person manage to get such material?"

The middle-aged man didn't know that the piece of refined iron was something Wang Lin's fourth uncle had bought from a blacksmith by chance. With his extensive knowledge, he immediately recognized its value. This time, to help Tiezhu join the Hengyue Sect, he decided to give it a try, though he didn't know the true value of the treasure.

A piece of refined iron changed Wang Lin's fate. When he heard the news, Wang Lin couldn't believe it; he had been taken in as a nominal disciple for no apparent reason.

Two days later, he sent his parents down from the Hengyue Sect. Seeing their excited expressions, Wang Lin felt quite happy and decided to diligently cultivate here.

However, this thought changed after his parents left. Wang Lin was called to a house specifically arranged for nominal disciples. A young man in yellow, with a sly and rat-like appearance, looked at him with disdain and mocked, "So, you're the one who became a nominal disciple by threatening to commit suicide, Wang Lin?"

Wang Lin glanced at him and remained silent. The young man raised an eyebrow and sneered, "Boy, starting tomorrow, you must report to me as soon as the sun rises. Your job is to carry water. If you don't fill ten barrels, you won't get any food. If you fail for seven consecutive days, I will report to the elders and have you expelled from the Hengyue Sect. Here are your clothes. Remember, nominal disciples can only wear gray. Only when you become a true disciple will you be given clothes of other colors." He impatiently threw a set of clothes and a badge to the side and closed his eyes, no longer paying attention.

Wang Lin picked up the clothes and asked, "Where will I be staying?"

The young man didn't even open his eyes and said casually, "Go north, and you'll see a row of houses. Give the badge to the disciple there, and they will assign you a room."

Wang Lin remembered this and turned to go north. After he left, the young man opened his eyes and muttered to himself, "To join by threatening to commit suicide, what a waste of a life."

As Wang Lin walked through the Hengyue Sect, he saw that most of the disciples were wearing gray, hurrying about with cold expressions. Some of them were carrying tools, looking slightly tired.

He walked north for a long time and finally saw a row of low houses. There were more gray-clad disciples here, but they were still busy with their own tasks and rarely spoke to each other.

After giving the badge to the yellow-clad disciple in charge, the other didn't say a word and impatiently pointed to a house.

Wang Lin was used to the cold expressions of everyone here. He walked to the house, pushed the door open, and saw a small room with two wooden beds, a table, and a clean floor. The room's condition was similar to his home.

He chose a bed that looked unused, put his luggage down, and lay down, his mind filled with thoughts. Although he had finally entered the Hengyue Sect, it was not as he had imagined, where he could practice cultivation techniques. From what the yellow-clad young man had said, his job was to carry water.

Thinking about this, he sighed softly and touched the stone bead tied to his chest with a rope. This was a treasure he valued greatly. Wang Lin had read many books and knew many stories, including the one about a commoner being guilty for possessing a valuable gem. He resolved not to let anyone know he had this treasure.

As night fell, a thin, gray-clad youth, looking exhausted, pushed the door open and walked in. He saw Wang Lin, paused, and carefully examined him before lying down and falling into a deep sleep.

Wang Lin didn't mind. He knew he had to wake up early the next day. He touched his stomach and took out some sweet potatoes from his bag. These were the foods his parents had brought, intended for the journey to find him. After finding Wang Lin and seeing him accepted into the Hengyue Sect, they left the remaining sweet potatoes with him.

The sweet potatoes were very sweet. Wang Lin had a few bites when the youth on the opposite bed stirred, sat up, and stared at the sweet potatoes, swallowing a few times. He whispered, "Can you give me a piece?"

Wang Lin immediately threw a few pieces to the youth's bed and smiled, "I have plenty. If you like them, have more."

The youth immediately grabbed them and devoured them, then quickly ran to the table, poured a glass of water, and drank it all, sighing, "Damn, I haven't eaten for two days. Thanks, brother. By the way, what's your name?"

Wang Lin gave his name. The youth was taken aback and exclaimed, "You're Wang Lin, the one who joined the Hengyue Sect by threatening to commit suicide, a waste of a life..." Realizing his mistake, he laughed and said, "Brother, I'm Zhang Hu. To be honest, almost everyone in the sect knows about you. Don't take it to heart. I actually admire you for using such a method to join."

Wang Lin smiled bitterly and didn't argue, offering more sweet potatoes.

Zhang Hu quickly took them, ate a few bites, and said embarrassedly, "Wang Lin, you should keep some for yourself. You're new and don't know that the weasel in charge of the miscellaneous tasks is full of tricks. You'll see tomorrow. Damn, he treats us nominal disciples like we're not even human!"